Rotary screen.



' J. G. MOINTYRE- ROTARY SCREEN;- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1913.

Patented Sept. 9

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JOHN C. IVIQINTYRE, F I-IOOPESTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SPRAGUECANNING MA- CHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A GORPORA'IIONOF ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent. 7

ratemee Sept.'9, 1913.

Original application filed March 7, 1913, Serial 'No. 752,550. Divided and thisfapplication fild'J'une' 18, 1913. Serial 110.774,.368. J

T0 allwkom it may concern Be it known that IfJOHN C. MOINTYRE, a citizen of the IInited States, residing at Hoopeston, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Screens,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for separating the silk and other debris from the kernels of green corn which have been out from the cob.

As the corn comes from the machine by which it is cut from the ear in its green condition it is accompanied by a considerable amount of silk which was not removed in the husking operation and there arealso small bits of cob and otherforeignmatter .all of which must be separated from the corn before thejlatter can be prepared for canning or use. The object of this invention is the provision of a machine for the removal of such foreign matter and particularly the Sllk,

which machine shall have a maximum of efficiency and which can be quickly and thoroughly cleaned without intermitting its own .operation or that of the cutting machines which supply the cornthereto.

In order that the invention and the man ner of its operation may be readily understood I set forth inthe accompanying drawings and in thedescription' based thereon a preferred embodiment of the same, 1t being understood that the constructional features of the invention are capable of modification within a wide range and'the drawing and description are for that reason to be construed in an illustrative sense and not as through Fig.1 looking toward the rear of themaohine, and Fig. 4: is a rear end eleva I tion of a portion of the machine.

The subject matter of this application is a division of my former application Serial Number 752,550, filed March 7,1913 for corn silking machines, wherein "the same is illustrated and described in its relation to and as a partof a complete machine for re moving the silk from out corn. v

Herein, the machineframe l'lis shown as provided with standards .12 and 13 upstanding therefrom at the two ends. These standards are of dissimilar height and'serve as bearing supports for the'two ends of an inclined shaft 14. Supported by the standard 13 and by a supplemental standard 15 is a trough-like member 16 within which operates a screw conveyer 17 rigidly mounted upon-the shaft 1 1 and above and in open communication withthe trough 16 is a feed hopper 18 into which the cut corn is fed by the cutting machines or from any other suitable source of supply. Upon the shaft 14 is fixed a gear wheel 19 having teeth upon its forward face, which teeth are inymesh with a beveled gear 20 carried by ajack shaft 21 driven from any suitable source of power. 7

Fixed upon the shaft 14 immediately to the rear of-the gear 19 by means of a spider bracket 22 is a square .plate 23 having a central aperture coinciding longitudinallywith the screw conveyer 17, while at the opposite end of the shaft 141 immediately'adja'centits bearing in the standard 12 is a spider 2d having four arms. The corners of the plate 23 and the arms of the-spider-2l are connected by channel bars 25 which form a boxlike frame'of which the plate 23 and the spider 24L constitute end frame members, the

, ture substantially open and "unobstructed.

Upon each of the angle bars 25 near its two ends andalso advantageously in its medial portion are mounted clips 26 the central ortions of which are securedto the bars w ile the terminal portions are spaced from said bars, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Upon each of the four sides ofthis rotary box structure is arranged a screen 27, the marginal frame members 28 of which'are slidably disposed within the space between the terminal portions of the clips and the angle bars, the upper ends of the screens abutting against the plate 23 and the lower ends thereofterminating near the spider 24 and the lower ends of the angle bars 25. I

its arms into alinement with the arms of the other spider they will not reach to the" angle bars 25 and yet are of suflicient length that when they are turnedto a position termediate the arms of the spider 24 their outer ends will extend to an intersection with the planes of the screens 27. Itwill thus be seen that in the last mentioned position the screens 27 will rest againstthe arms of the spider 29 and be retained in position and that when the spider 29 is angularly displa ed 4 ts arms will be removed from in front of the screens 27 and the lattercan be easily slipped from under the clips 26 and removed from the frame,

For the purpose oflocking the spider 29 in retaining position "I form upon one arm thereof a stop projection 30, theouter end of which abuts against the edge of one of the arms of the spider 24 when in retaining position While a spring catch 31 is mounted upon one of the arms of the spider 24 in such position that its free end will. snap into position behind a rib 32 on the spider 29 thus releasably locking the spider 29 in position with its arms engaging the ends of the screens to preyent their displacement.

The frame carried by the shaft 1% and the screens removably mounted upon the four sides of the frame constitute a trommel or tumbling screen which receives from the hopper 18 by means of the screw 17 the cut corn and any bits of silk, cob and other debris coming from the cutting machine. The trommel being constantly rota-ted, the material is tumbled from one screen to the other and the grain-s of corn fall through the meshes of the screen while most of the silk,

cob and .other refuse matter are either held in meshes of the screens or finally dischalrged at the lower open end of thetromme At intervals during the operation of the machine, whenever necessary, the belt shifter (not shown) may be operated to stop he machine permitting the corn to accumulate within the trough 16 while the spider 29 is turned at an angle and the screens 27 slippfid out of the trommel and cleansed by dipping n water or substituted by another Set :of screens held in reserve. It will thus be seen that by reason of the provision of means whereby the machine may be in all of its arts quickly and thoroughly cleansed the operation is ractically continuous and it is not necessary to stop the operation of the cutting machines while the silking machine is itself cleansed.

I claim:

13in a machine of the class described, a trommel including a frame and screens slidable longitudinally with reference to t-he frame, and common means to retain the screens in position comprising a member adapted to be swung from a position in the path of the slidable screens to a position out of said path, substantially as described.

.2. In a. machine of the class described, a trommel including a frame with overlying spaced clips, and screens slidable longitu dinally of the frame Within the clips, 21 retaimng spider rotatably mounted with reference to the trommel axis from a position with its arms engaging the screens to a position out Of engagement therewith, and means to lock the retaining. spider in engaging position, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described, a trommel comprising a frame including end members, connecting bars and clips, andscreens slidable longitudinally of the frame within the clips, a retaining SDidel" rotatably mounted with reference to the trommel axis from a positio with its arms in the path of the screen ends to a position out of the path thereof, and a spring catchv to lock the retaining. spider in engaging position, substantially as describec.

4. In a machine of the class described, an'inclined trommel comprising a frame including an upper end plate, a lower end spider, connecting bars, .clips overlying the bars, screens slidable longitudinally .ofthe frame within the clips, [a retaining spider mounted .to rotate with reference to the trommel axis from a position with its arms in the path of the screen ends to a position out of the path thereof, a stop carried by one of the spiders and adapted to position the retaining spider in engaging relation to the screens, and a spring catch carried by one of the spiders and adapted to engage the other to lock the retaining spider in engaging position, substantially as described.

.5. In a'machine .of the class described, an inclined trommel comprising a frame in: cluding an .upper .end plate, a lower .end spider, and connecting bars, clips carried :by the bars in spaced relation thereto, screens slidable longitudinally of the frame within the clips, a retaining spider mounted to rotate upon the shaft adjacent the end spider from a position with its arms in the path of and engaging the screen ends to a position out 

